Tamil Nadu on Wednesday filed a suit in the Supreme Court accusing the Union government of treating the people of the State in a “step-motherly” fashion by delaying the release of disaster relief funds to the tune of nearly ₹38,000 crore sought by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to help tide over the twin calamities of Cyclone Michaung and unprecedented floods in the southern districts.
“There is no justification in delaying the release of funds. The differential treatment in the release of funds in comparison to other States is tantamount to class discrimination. It violates the fundamental rights of those who have suffered due to calamities and faced greater hardships and irreparable losses. This step-motherly treatment violates the National Disaster Management Policy, including financial relations and the federal nature of tax division by unfairly allocating funds to some States over others,” the State of Tamil Nadu submitted in court.
The original suit filed by the State under Article 131 of the Constitution follows Mr. Stalin’s response on the lack of adequate flood relief from the Centre after Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented, ahead of the General Election, that the Congress had “callously given away” the strategic Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka, and Mr. Stalin’s party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), had done “nothing” to safeguard Tamil Nadu’s interests.
